Meet Amanda Alberda, SBNDC’s Newest Board Member
Even though she’s just 22 years old, Amanda Alberda is no stranger to neighborhood development corporations. She worked with Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation while a student at Boston College.
“I was excited about what NDCs were doing,” she said.
The assistant project manager for Trinity Financial, an affordable housing developer, is the newest board member and treasurer for South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation.
Amanda joined CREW Network, a professional group for commercial real estate women. Donna Brown, SBNDC’s executive director, is chair of CREW’s community development subcommittee. Amanda reached out to Donna to find out more about the subcommittee.
“We had a great, long conversation,” Amanda said, noting they also talked about SBNDC’s work.
At the end of the conversation, Donna told Amanda that South Boston is a very popular place for post-grads to live and if she ended up in the neighborhood to let Donna know. Well, Amanda, who grew up in Lewiston, ME, already had a lease in Southie with a May 2021 move-in.
At that point, Amanda told friends and family: “I’m moving to Southie and I’m going to join the SBNDC. This is what we're doing.”
Once she settled into her new job and her new place, Amanda took her seat on the SBNDC board.
She admits she has a lot to learn. “I want to join the board and get some experience under my belt so that I can understand more of what Southie people want and what the goals of the organizations around Southie are. I don’t have an agenda.”
She brings youth, enthusiasm, and her work ethic to the board.
“My benefit will be showing up and listening to people and participating actively in discussions. I really want to get my feet under me before I have a lot to say.”
Her work experience brings a lot to the table. Trinity Financial works closely with NDCs throughout southern New England, and Jim Keefe -- one of the principals and founders of Trinity -- founded the Codman Square NDC.
Trinity works with nonprofit affordable housing developers often. Amanda will be able to determine how SBNDC can make itself more relative or more impactful with private development opportunities.
Amanda’s degree is in political science. She had planned to go to law school, but wanted to get real-world experience before making graduate school decisions.
In her junior year (before COVID), she studied abroad in Spain, vowing not to think about her career path and focus on what she likes. “I really like cities, I like urban living and urban landscapes, and I really like transportation,” she said. “That [public transportation and connectivity] was so good in Madrid. It was easy to get around. I feel that’s where Boston is seriously lacking.”
When she got back to school, she decided to focus on cities and how cities work. She took real estate and business classes focusing on environmental, social, and governmental impacts.
She had wanted to go to law school because she wanted to make a difference. “So, I then figured out that environmental sustainability ... that is really the difference I want to make. In my life we’re going to see big changes in that industry and with those circumstances in our day-to-day so that’s what I want to touch.”
Amanda learned that buildings are 40 percent of carbon emissions. “It just kind of came together. Buildings are very tangible and there are many ways to work with them and on them that is tangible.”
Her company is a for-profit affordable housing developer: “You do the private corporate work, but you get to have your heart in it and know that you are doing things for the right reasons.”
Being a first-time board member, Amanda is really excited to be more involved in the community.
Amanda and her roommates explore South Boston’s shops, boutiques, coffee shops, and eateries whenever they can. She was drawn to South Boston’s nightlife, safety, closeness to the ocean, public transportation, and neighborhood feel.
“Honestly, it’s like the cool factor,” she said. “You graduate in Boston and you move to South Boston.”